$76 Million Worth of Marijuana Discovered During Traffic Stop: Police

"It's the largest in recent memory that anybody around here remembers," police said.

Police said they discovered $76 million worth of marijuana when they pulled over a U-Haul truck driver who ran a red light in Bakersfield Wednesday.

Two officers could smell the marijuana during the Southern California traffic stop, Bakersfield Police Sgt. Joe Grubbs said. A police dog brought to the scene also alerted authorities.

When officers cut the lock on the truck, they discovered more than 6,700 pounds of packaged marijuana.

The street value of the seized marijuana is estimated to be $76 million based on a sale price of $25 a gram, Grubbs told NBC. Low-grade marijuana typically sells for $5 to $10, but higher grade marijuana can go for as much as $40 a gram, he said.

"It's the largest in recent memory that anybody around here remembers," Grubbs said.

Grubbs said that the Bakersfield Police Department doesn’t usually track drug seizures by the size, but this was an exceptional amount. Grubbs added that the officers promptly destroyed the drugs.

The 22-year-old truck driver and his 24-year-old passenger were booked into Kern County Jail on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale and conspiracy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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